Allura red in Chinese takeaway dishes and urine
What it found
Allura red was found in three popular Chinese takeaway dishes at levels from 2.85 to 8.38 mg/g, and in the urine of 113 adults who often ate them.
A 10-fold higher level in urine was linked to a higher chance of high blood pressure, but the range was wide and could include no link.
What they found
Studies in people
Urine levels in adults
Among 113 adults who often ate the dishes, the median urinary allura red level was 22.29 nM/mM creatinine.
Link to high blood pressure
A 10-fold higher level of allura red in urine was linked to a higher chance of high blood pressure, with a best estimate of 1.75 times the chance. The range around that estimate ran from 0.78 to 3.96, so it could also mean no link.
Other findings
Levels in dishes
The three surveyed Chinese dishes contained allura red at 2.85 to 8.38 mg/g wet weight, which the authors call high levels.
What the authors conclude
“Our findings provide new insights for the potential risk of hypertension for long-term allura red overconsumption.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say their findings provide new insights into the potential risk of high blood pressure from long-term overconsumption of allura red.
How it was done
Allura red is a widely used synthetic food dye, and the authors wanted to measure how much people take in from common takeaway dishes and what shows up in their urine.
They developed and checked a lab method to measure allura red in three takeaway Chinese dishes (braised pork, soy sauce chicken, sweet and sour pork) and in human urine. They tested the dishes and collected urine from 113 adults who ate these dishes more than once a week over the past 2 years.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This kind of study follows people at one point in time, so it can show a link between urinary allura red and high blood pressure but cannot prove that the dye caused it.
- The range around the blood pressure estimate includes the possibility of no link at all.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of California-San Diego, United States; Yuhuangding Hospital, China; China-Japan Friendship Hospital, China
The paper
- Title
- New LC-MS/MS Method for the Analysis of Allura Red Level in Takeaway Chinese Dishes and Urine of an Adult Chinese Population
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Li K, Xia Y, Ma G, Zhao Y, Pidatala VR (2017). New LC-MS/MS Method for the Analysis of Allura Red Level in Takeaway Chinese Dishes and Urine of an Adult Chinese Population. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.6b05310PubMed 28266214DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error